NAIROBI, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- As Nairobi's morning traffic builds around him, Johnson Kamau Wanja navigates the crowded streets with ease, guiding a locally assembled electric bus through the Kenyan capital.
The quiet ride is a world apart from the noisy diesel buses he drove for 17 years, when rumbling engines and thick exhaust fumes were part of his daily routine.
Four years ago, Wanja made the switch to electric buses, a change he says has transformed his experience behind the wheel.
"It is so much more comfortable driving an electric bus compared to a diesel one," Wanja said. "Because there is no engine noise in the vehicle, you are able to listen to the bus itself. If something crops up, you immediately realize where the issue is."
Wanja was among the first group of Kenyan public transport drivers selected for specialized training to operate the country's pioneering fleet of electric buses, supplied in partnership with e-mobility firm BasiGo.
George Muriithi Githinji, chairperson and CEO of OMA Services, said his firm now operates a fleet of 21 electric buses serving major urban routes.
Wanja said the buses travel 190 to 230 km on a typical weekday before returning to BasiGo depots for overnight charging. A full charge takes about two hours.
Maintenance demands have also dropped dramatically. Unlike traditional diesel buses that require monthly oil changes and frequent replacements of mechanical parts like bearings, electric buses rely primarily on routine checks for tires, brakes, and wheel greasing.
"The bearings for this electric bus rarely wear out, allowing us to run them far longer than diesel buses," Wanja explained, adding that major servicing is handled systematically through specialized maintenance centers.
For Nairobi's daily commuters, the shift to electric public transport has brought tangible upgrades to their travel experience.
Albert Nderi, a regular passenger on urban routes, boards with a sense of relief, deliberately choosing electric buses whenever possible for their superior build quality, quiet comfort, and orderly operations at designated stops.
"They are very spacious, convenient, and stop strictly at designated stops," Nderi said, highlighting the stark contrast to traditional public minibuses.
"The design itself reflects the ambience of modern commuting because it is clean, comfortable, and operates without the heavy engine noise or congestion found in conventional vehicles," Nderi added.
Moses Nderitu, managing director of BasiGo Kenya, said that the transition to green public transit is powered by innovative financing models and strong technology partnerships.
Over the past four years, BasiGo has deployed 102 electric buses to serve public transport operators, Nderitu said.
He said around 70 to 80 percent of these buses have been assembled locally from Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits.
Most components are coming from China, with local fabrication carried out at the Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers plant in Thika, an industrial and commercial hub northeast of Nairobi, Nderitu said. Items made locally include the interiors, the seats and some of the flat glass.
"The reason we chose China, first and foremost, is that there was a variety of different original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that we could work with," Nderitu said. "It's the fact that there are several OEMs we can work with who are willing to customize for local consumption, and of course better pricing and very good-quality products."
Although electric buses cost about 2.5 times as much upfront as diesel models, their lower operating costs offer savings of more than 50 percent on energy, Nderitu said.
"With our leasing model, we're seeing people having positive cash flow from the initial deposit as early as six months and as late as nine months," he added.
The company has also established charging depots across Nairobi and is expanding infrastructure along key routes to Thika, Nakuru, Eldoret and Kisumu.
Electric buses also represent a major step forward for sustainable mobility in East Africa.
By eliminating tailpipe emissions, curbing urban noise pollution, and relying on clean energy, the adoption of electric transit systems closely aligns with regional green development goals and the broader modernization of public infrastructure.
In 2024, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) launched a campaign to boost electric vehicle uptake in Kenya.
EPRA data showed that Kenya recorded 24,754 registered electric vehicles as of December 2025, up from 796 in 2022.
Kenya launched its National Electric Mobility Policy in February, setting a target of at least 5 percent of newly registered vehicles and a long-term goal of full electrification and net-zero emissions by 2050.
Alexander Koerner, UNEP programme officer and team lead for electric mobility, said that the transition to electric mobility in Nairobi started almost 10 years ago and that there are an estimated 40,000 electric motorcycles working as taxis and about 150 electric buses in the capital city.
Koerner said UNEP began working with the government years ago to help develop technical standards and regulations, and in 2020 ran one of the first pilot projects for electric motorcycles in Kenya with partners including the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) and Karura Forest.
"Chinese technology is obviously very important for electric mobility," Koerner said, pointing out that critical hardware like solar generation panels is predominantly supplied by Chinese manufacturers, and in the battery field, Chinese technology is very important for what is currently produced in Kenya.
"On the e-bus side, of course, China is leading the electric bus market and has quite a lot of products that are very useful in Kenya," he said. "Chinese technology is obviously a big driver of this transition in Kenya and on the African continent." ■